Matthews Named PTR Clinician of the Year

Hilton Head Island, SC — Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) presented its annual awards this week during the 2011 PTR International Tennis Symposium. The event, which includes 50-plus on court and classroom presentations for tennis teachers and coaches, a tennis trade show and tournament is being held February 18-24, 2011 at PTR Headquarters on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Harlon Matthews, of Locust Grove, Georgia, has been named PTR Clinician of the Year. A PTR member since 2004, Matthews was introduced to PTR while competing in the PTR Wheelchair Tennis Championships. After earning his PTR certification, Matthews had an internship at Van der Meer Academy, and was then hired as the Therapeutic Recreation Specialist/Wheelchair Sports Coordinator and Tennis Coach for Henry Country Parks & Recreation in his native Georgia.

Matthews is the Director of the Geranium Festival Wheelchair Tournament that was named 2010 USTA Southern Tournament of the Year. Matthews was named Racquet Sports Industry Magazine Wheelchair Tennis Champion of the Year. As a PTR Clinician, Matthews has helped many coaches learn the nuances of wheelchair tennis mobility and strategy. He also assisted in the revision of the workshop curriculum.

“The most exciting moments during the workshops are when I see coaches go from hesitant and nervous to relaxed and having fun. It happens when they realize instructing wheelchair tennis is instructing tennis with some modifications,” Matthews explained. “I enjoy seeing their faces when they ‘get it’. The real highlight is when coaches contact me after the workshop with questions and updates on their wheelchair tennis programs. It reinforces why PTR offers these workshops and encourages clinicians to schedule more of them.”

PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals with more than 14,000 members in 121 countries. It has the greatest percentage of multicultural and women members of any such organization. PTR is dedicated to educating, certifying and servicing tennis teachers and coaches around the world in order to grow the game.